The speculation begins: Who’s going to replace Harry Reid?

By Amber Phillips

Published Friday, March 27, 2015 | 11:22 a.m.

Updated Friday, March 27, 2015 | 1:55 p.m.

Sen. Harry Reid's announced retirement leaves a decade-long vacuum in Nevada politics, and pundits immediately turned to who would replace him.

Reid came right out with a favorite: Catherine Cortez Masto, former Nevada attorney general and executive vice chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

“She has a great resume. She has a background that is significantly powerful. I hope she decides to run. If she does, I will help her,” Reid said.

Anyone who runs against Cortez Masto will “be a loser,” Reid continued in a candid interview on Nevada Public Radio.

Cortez Masto, meanwhile, tried to deflect the speculation, saying “today is not the day for politics.”

At a city-sponsored education conference on Hispanic underachievement, speakers — Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman among them — discussed Reid's surprise announcement and credited him for advancing the interests of the state’s Latino community.

Cortez Masto, the event’s keynote speaker, steered clear of the topic of Reid's retirement during her address.

“Today is a day to thank (Reid) for everything he’s done on behalf of our state,” Cortez Masto said after the speech, declining to comment on Reid’s endorsement. “I’m learning about this as we move along.”

Sources said Las Vegas Democrat Rep. Dina Titus also is “strongly considering” running for Reid’s seat.

Titus, who also gave a brief speech at today’s education conference, did not address a potential candidacy. But Goodman told the crowd that Titus “would make a wonderful U.S. senator.”

Later, in a statement, Titus said she's "humbled" by calls she's received to consider running. "This is a decision I will make carefully after talking with family and close friends to ensure it is in the best interest of District 1 and the people of Nevada,” she said.

Another possibility for Democrats: Las Vegas Assemblywoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick, who is known for her savvy in complex tax issues and ability to work with Republicans. She is finishing her last term in the Legislature and has served since 2004. But she swatted away speculation quickly.

“You can count me out,” she said.

On the Republican side, potential candidates to challenge Reid are now reconfiguring their chances in a more even playing field. Nonpartisan political analyst Larry Sabato turned the now-open race from leaning Democratic to a toss up.

GOP candidates in the running include: former state lawmaker Heidi Gansert, Atty. Gen. Adam Laxalt, Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison and state Senate Majority Leader Michael Roberson.

Gov. Brian Sandoval, a top contender for the Senate seat even while Reid was in the race, indicated earlier this year he didn't have any intention to run. Aides declined to speculate Friday on how Reid's retirement could change Sandoval's political calculus.

Roberson, who’s in the middle of a legislative budget battle, said he wouldn’t comment on speculation about 2016.

“For me that’s a distraction from what we’re trying to do here,” he said.

What does Reid think?

"It's a free country — let them all run," Reid said when asked on KNPR who he thinks is the strongest Republican candidate.

Reid's departure will change more dynamics in the race than just the names on the ballot.

For nearly a decade in Washington, Reid has been the symbol of dysfunction for Republicans.

Now, the GOP will lose a punching-bag figure for rallying the base. But it will also give conservatives an opponent who isn’t a seasoned campaign veteran with one of the most formidable political machines in the country.

Running against the Reid machine has always been daunting, said Robert Uithoven, a GOP campaign strategist.

“It always look attractive in the beginning,” he said. “Candidates always go out early with polls that show they are in the lead... But then they go up against the well-funded Democratic party machine and the Reid campaign. Then it becomes much more challenging than when you looked at the initial poll results.”

It still could be, even without Reid publicly at the helm.

The Clark County Republican Party fired off a fundraising email today on just that point: Reid may be gone, but "The Harry Reid Machine is still behind the scenes supporting Democratic candidates."

For casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, the race just got easier. Despite the political differences between he and Reid, the two have a close relationship.

Reid’s absence from the race will now allow one of the world’s richest men to unload his money against Cortez Masto or any other Democrat who may foray into the race, an intimidating obstacle for anyone who wants run.

But local Democrats say Reid's retirement won't change their 2016 strategy.

"Just like we would fight for Sen. Reid for his re-election," said Chris Miller, the chair of the Clark County Democratic party, "we will fight for whoever that is to ensure that seat remains in Democratic hands."

Las Vegas Sun reporters Ana Ley, Kyle Roerink and Conor Shine contributed to this report.